MAGNOLIA ROAD: Tom Ranken
Favorite Artists
The Beach Boys: For
many years, I didn't really respect the Beach Boys. It was fun
pop with great vocals, but not great rock. It was when I
listened to the box set Good Vibrations, I figured it out.
With the songs in chronological order, you can hear some talented
kids starting out in the early 1960s, becoming great pop artists,
then reaching out to become something really great. Then Brian
Wilson loses it post-Pet Sounds and it becomes much more
hit and miss. Particularly revealing for me was the bonus
disc, which contains recordings during sessions, vocal tracks
without instruments, and tracks with instruments sans vocals.
Very revealing and very great stuff.
The
Beatles: Nothing touches them. I never get
tired of listening to them. I hear something new every time.
Two of the greatest songwriters and vocalists of all time in Lennon
and McCartney, a terrific guitarist (George Harrison), and one of
the most innovative drummers (Ringo Starr) backed by a truly
insightful producer (George Martin). A great album, I think,
has the ability to have a lot of different sounds and styles that
somehow are able to drive to a common theme. The Beatles made
a lot of them.
Pearl
Jam:
This band just sounds great. Eddie Vedder is a great vocalist
that combines a great sound with enormous passion. I still
haven't seen them live...
The Police: I really like
Andy Summers,
their guitar player. He wrote a really great book about his
experiences in the band. Seems like a really likeable guy.
He didn't bad mouth his bandmates at all, but he did seem honest and
straightforward. His playing is fantastic. Like The
Edge, he has the ability to color the music and create something
unique and great. The other guys are OK, too.
The
Who:
I love these guys. Pete Townshend is probably my favorite
songwriter guitarist. The power of their music is rarely
equaled. I love Keith Moon, but I would have hated to play
with him. I love Zak Starkey, though. He is the perfect
blend of the Keith Moon style with Charlie Watts discipline.
Neil Young: What a mercurial character he is.
The biography, Shakey, didn't describe a character that I could
really admire, but he has made great music for a long time. H
e
seems to revel in doing things that people don't expect--or maybe he
fears being pigeonholed. He's been successful at that.
My gripe lately is that he has gone over the line on his politics.
Pearl Jam and Bruce Spingsteen, for example, are political and
partisan, but they don't hit me over the head with their songs.
Neil Young, I think, crossed the line into the banal with "Living
With War." I don't need to be sledge hammered, Neil.
Make me think, but don't crush my brain.
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